Wrexham FC

[steve@dcfd]

Wasn’t it good to see supporters enjoying a football match. There has been only a few in the last 2 years that we can say that.

[steve@dcfd]

When asked in a TV interview about ambition for Wrexham the owner Ryan Reynolds said the premier league, now this might not happen but that is his stated aim.
When Terry Bramell was asked about our ambition in the last meet the owners meting he said we will find our own level. Well we are 15th in league 2 have we bottom out yet or will we rise again. Evidence in the last two season and continuing results shows we might even drop further.

[Sammy Chung was King]

Sustainability without success is a waste of time.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Ryan Reynolds doesn't know what potential he can unlock at Wrexham as many won't including the locals. It's been such a long time since they were back in the league, times have changed.

Not too dissimilar to our journey and rapid rise. We didn't know how far we could go and could we fill our new stadium week in week out. The answer was ultimately no.

Even with Championship status, crowds were falling. The novelty started wear off as we faced the reality once we plateaued.

Our fan base is brittle and will only support winning football in bigger numbers. Not so good at bread and butter routine league games as it's not 'sexy' enough. It may come again if we can win more consistently and get on a roll, achieve a promotion and get people interested again.

Good luck to Wrexham and Reynolds, they've waited long enough for a bit of excitement. Enjoy the ride.

[Monkcaster_Rover]

I hope they do well. I like both Reynolds & McElhenney so I'm all for them succeeding.

[silent majority]

If you watch all the episodes of 'Welcome to Wrexham' the part where Shaun Harvey tells them that they're £1m over budget for the season is priceless! The blood just drains out of their face, especially when he tells them they'll have to do the same again the following season if they don't get promoted and that they'll have to keep on doing for every season that they don't receive solidarity payments.

Ambitious for the EPL? Not a cat in hells chance.

[NickDRFC]

If you watch all the episodes of 'Welcome to Wrexham' the part where Shaun Harvey tells them that they're £1m over budget for the season is priceless! The blood just drains out of their face, especially when he tells them they'll have to do the same again the following season if they don't get promoted and that they'll have to keep on doing for every season that they don't receive solidarity payments.

Ambitious for the EPL? Not a cat in hells chance.

It’s an entertainment show, things are amped up for drama. I’d be amazed if the first time they heard about something as big as that was in front of the cameras.

[Campsall rover]

If you watch all the episodes of 'Welcome to Wrexham' the part where Shaun Harvey tells them that they're £1m over budget for the season is priceless! The blood just drains out of their face, especially when he tells them they'll have to do the same again the following season if they don't get promoted and that they'll have to keep on doing for every season that they don't receive solidarity payments.

Ambitious for the EPL? Not a cat in hells chance.

I don’t know how wealthy these 2 guys are but if the have the funds it is not impossible to reach the Premier League SM. Bournemouth and Brentford have done it.
But by heck they are going to need to spend huge sums to get there and they will need a really good manager. Parkinson won’t take them to the Premier League.

[Janso]

Sustainability without success is a waste of time.

Shit or bust is loads better, isn't it.

[steve@dcfd]

Sustainability without success is a waste of time.

Shit or bust is loads better, isn't it.

How many unsustainable clubs since Covid have gone to the wall.
How many unsustainable clubs are above us and doing better.

So let’s not just talk about sustainability we need success on the pitch and that is failing

[sedwardsdrfc]

The whole sustainable word is losing its meaning. Loads of clubs are sustainable even if the owners need to plug a gap. So long as the owners know this and are willing to keep doing it then it’s sustainable. In that sense we’ve been sustainable for a long time.

If what every other club was doing was really unsustainable they’d be more points deductions and clubs going to the wall. Yes there’s a few but not that many considering how “unsustainable” football is.

What we are now is self funding. It’s a shame we don’t get any real competitive edge for it which would be the case if more clubs were truly unsustainable

[Campsall rover]

Sustainability without success is a waste of time.

Shit or bust is loads better, isn't it.

How many unsustainable clubs since Covid have gone to the wall.
How many unsustainable clubs are above us and doing better.

So let’s not just talk about sustainability we need success on the pitch and that is failing

Yes we all know that but to achieve long term success on the pitch you need a financially sound base to work from.
As Janso said we do not need boom and then bust.

[steve@dcfd]

Campsall boom and bust financially no but we are getting  that in the pitch.
We went from Conference to the Championship and we played good football most of the time.
But vet the last 2/3 years the ballon been deflating
So yes we are sustainable off the pitch not boom and never will be under this regime. But on the pitch the level of football is getting worst and we all we don’t want bust on the field

[normal rules]

Sustainability without success is a waste of time.

That depends what you classify as success.
As a club, rovers have enjoyed a reasonable amount of success imho. But that depends on your level of expectation. Mine is based around rovers being a third/fourth tier club for the vast majority of their existence.
After the conference playoff final, Rovers were the first team ever to win the Fourth Division/Third Division (fourth level) Championship three times, 1966, 1969, and 2004.
Then there was the 05/06 season league cup run.
Then the tenure of SOD. The football league trophy win in Cardiff. The playoff games against Southend. That hat trick. The playoff win against Leeds at Wembley. Some memorable games in the first season in the championship.
The win at forest. The win against Wednesday, the first in our history. Wins away at places like Derby. Finishing 14th at season end, above 8 ex prem teams.
Since then, there has been a steady demise. Bad management, bad managers and some awful signings.
For me, there is some balance there. Some very good years followed by some not so good.

[Campsall rover]

Campsall boom and bust financially no but we are getting  that in the pitch.
We went from Conference to the Championship and we played good football most of the time.
But vet the last 2/3 years the ballon been deflating
So yes we are sustainable off the pitch not boom and never will be under this regime. But on the pitch the level of football is getting worst and we all we don’t want bust on the field

Steve I agree.
We have gone backwards because we have had some poor appointments of managers since DM left us in the S..T
Most of the player recruitment has been appalling. Most of it nothing to do with the budget.

Boards fault for the managerial appointments yes but they don’t do the recruitment nor do they go on the pitch and kick a ball.
Now I am talking pre Copps and DS as we can’t judge them until next season imo. The January window does not give the opportunity to get the squad Copps and DS want and need to get us promoted.

Some patience needed Steve.  Yes it’s a tough watch at times but with all the changes in Management we have had over the last few years it’s hardly surprising we are where we are.
Let’s see where we are in November next season and take it from there.
The more I think about it the more I think another season in League 2 would benefit us in the long term.
We need to go up with a team that can hold its own in League 1 not one that’s going to come straight back down again.

[Sammy Chung was King]

Sustainability without success is a waste of time.

Shit or bust is loads better, isn't it.

No not shit or bust. Giving the side a boost with a couple of top signings would help. Then it’s up to the coaching staff to get the best from them.

[silent majority]

If you watch all the episodes of 'Welcome to Wrexham' the part where Shaun Harvey tells them that they're £1m over budget for the season is priceless! The blood just drains out of their face, especially when he tells them they'll have to do the same again the following season if they don't get promoted and that they'll have to keep on doing for every season that they don't receive solidarity payments.

Ambitious for the EPL? Not a cat in hells chance.

I don’t know how wealthy these 2 guys are but if the have the funds it is not impossible to reach the Premier League SM. Bournemouth and Brentford have done it.
But by heck they are going to need to spend huge sums to get there and they will need a really good manager. Parkinson won’t take them to the Premier League.

World of difference there though Campsall, and yes I agree it can be done but they will have to spend mega sums, something I don't think they'll find palatable. In the original first episodes Rob McElhenney admitted on camera that he couldn't afford to do this on his own which is why he recruited Ryan Reynolds. If he can't afford to do it at National League level he won't be bankrolling them to the EPL.

Don't forget its Wrexham as well, an area a bit remote and with a population of about 136,000.

But the major stumbling block will be Shaun Harvey, every club he's been a part of has gone into admin! Count them, Scarborough, Bradford City and Leeds Utd.

[idler]

He still has a bad name in Bradford Martin.
Not expected to get very far after leaving City.

[silent majority]

He still has a bad name in Bradford Martin.
Not expected to get very far after leaving City.

I'm not surprised. His business ethics left a lot to be desired.

I could never understand the EFL taking him on like they did. I used to sit across the table from him at EFL meetings and try and ponder what they were possibly thinking when they appointed him.

[Campsall rover]

If you watch all the episodes of 'Welcome to Wrexham' the part where Shaun Harvey tells them that they're £1m over budget for the season is priceless! The blood just drains out of their face, especially when he tells them they'll have to do the same again the following season if they don't get promoted and that they'll have to keep on doing for every season that they don't receive solidarity payments.

Ambitious for the EPL? Not a cat in hells chance.

I don’t know how wealthy these 2 guys are but if the have the funds it is not impossible to reach the Premier League SM. Bournemouth and Brentford have done it.
But by heck they are going to need to spend huge sums to get there and they will need a really good manager. Parkinson won’t take them to the Premier League.

World of difference there though Campsall, and yes I agree it can be done but they will have to spend mega sums, something I don't think they'll find palatable. In the original first episodes Rob McElhenney admitted on camera that he couldn't afford to do this on his own which is why he recruited Ryan Reynolds. If he can't afford to do it at National League level he won't be bankrolling them to the EPL.

Don't forget its Wrexham as well, an area a bit remote and with a population of about 136,000.

But the major stumbling block will be Shaun Harvey, every club he's been a part of has gone into admin! Count them, Scarborough, Bradford City and Leeds Utd.

100% agree SM
That’s why I said about how much wealth do they have.  They may be millionaire’s but do they have 100 million between them that they can afford to lose because that’s what it might take.
Then there is no guarantee it being achieved and they will never see that money again.

I agree it’s a pipe dream. Gary Linaker had to stop himself from laughing when RR said his goal was getting Wrexham to the Premier League.
It’s a pipe dream and i very much doubt they have the wealth to achieve it.

[sedwardsdrfc]

In fairness to their spending that league is a pig to get out of. Once out of it they can spend less and still be a decent EFL club. We spent a fair bit to get out of conference ourselves remember.

Not going to get the, close to prem unless they get more finance in. They are pretty high profile so wouldn’t put it past them finding investors to get on the bandwagon.

[VivaRovers]

Don't forget its Wrexham as well, an area a bit remote and with a population of about 136,000.

I wouldn't class Wrexham as remote; less than an hour from Liverpool, not much over an hour from Manchester. It's certainly less remote than say Brighton, Bournemouth, Norwich, Ipswich or Swansea.

And you're really underestimating the catchment area for Wrexham by just limiting it to the city's population. They are very much seen as North Wales' club, and draw in fans from as far away as Anglesey.

I mean I can't see them making the Premier League either (aside from maybe a Blackpool or Huddersfield-esque brief flirtation for a season or two), but regular attendances of 15,000 at the Racecourse supporting a Championship team are very realistic.

It's probably why the investors swung to Wrexham rather than their apparent other considered target of Hartlepool.